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I stare at her as she comes into the church. Even dressed like an eighty-year-old goth girl, she stuns me and that makes me feel like I’m crazy. The warring thoughts in my head are going to be the death of me. She’s got on a longish black dress as if she was going to a funeral and that damn sweater again. I think it’s ninety degrees out today. Does she have an iron deficiency or something? I can’t help but to think of what people will think of us, together. Unbidden, my mother’s grating voice fills my head with nonsense about physical beauty. I watch as Kelly practically runs down the aisle to her. They stand there and talk for a few minutes, even hugging. Then Kelly leads her to me. Then she trips and I automatically reach for her. I lace my fingers with hers, just to steady her, of course.
I can do this. For the good of Hollow’s Hollow, I can do this. Lex clears his throat and opens the Bible he’s holding. It’s my Bible. I was given it the day I was born by my grandmother. I’ll never part with it. I placed our wedding rings in there for a blessing. This union is going to need all the blessings it can get.
“Hello, Lavinia. I’m Judge Lexington Braeden.”
“Nice to meet you, sir,” Lavinia says, letting go of my hand to shake hands with the man. Lex’s hand lingers a little too long on hers for my liking. I’m about to forcibly remove his hand when Lavinia drops his. The relief I feel at that is immense as I take her hand again. The rightness I feel as our fingers lace again astounds me.
“It’s lovely to meet you. I’ll be presiding over this ceremony since Alton can’t do it himself. Alton has requested a traditional Christian ceremony. Are you okay with that Lavinia?”
“Yes, of course,” she says.
“Excellent. I’m just reading the script Alton left me, to be fair,” Lex says, garnering some laughs. “I’m pretty sure he’ll do most of the work. I’m really just here to sign your marriage certificate.” I roll my eyes. “Alright. We are here to celebrate the joining of Alton Samson Reed and Lavinia Delilah Yoder in Holy Matrimony. Wow, really, Samson and Delilah? What an odd coincidence,” he says, laughing. The rest of those gathered laugh as well. I’ll admit that it is weird, but knowing Lloyd, it’s not that freaking weird. Delilah tempted Samson in ways he’d never been tempted before. She betrayed him in the end, turning him over to the Philistines. I pray that doesn’t happen in this case, the betrayal mind you, I don’t have any enemies. She’s already tempting me.
“Do you mind, Lex?” I ask, losing patience with him.
“Of course not. Go ahead.”
"In the name of God, I, Alton Samson Reed, take you, Lavinia Delilah Yoder, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow and, as such, cannot be broken." I smile and nod at her reassuringly. She smiles back at me, and my heart skips a beat. I’m going to have to see a cardiologist about this. It’s getting out of hand.
“In the name of God, I, Lavinia Delilah Yoder, take you, Alton Samson Reed, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, honor, obey, and cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow and, as such, cannot be broken.”
“Rings? Oh yeah, they’re right here,” Lex says, chuckling. “Bless these rings as a symbol of the vows by which this man and this woman have bound themselves to each other; through Jesus Christ our Lord.” His recitation of my notes for him makes him sound like a robot.
“With this ring, I thee wed. With all that I am and all that I have, I honor you in the Name of God,” I say, sliding her wedding band on her finger, then I put the engagement ring on her. They were my grandmother’s. She left them to me when she died. They are a perfect fit for Lavinia’s delicate finger. Lex holds the Bible out to her. She grabs my band, sliding it on my finger.
“With this ring, I thee wed. With all that I am and all that I have, I honor you in the Name of God,” she says loudly.
“Alrighty then. By the power vested in me by the great state of West, by God, Virginia, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
